The Republic of Kazakhstan began undergoing a political, economic, and social transition after 1991. Population health was declared an important element and was backed with a substantial commitment by the central government to health policy. We examine key trends in the population health status of the Republic of Kazakhstan and seek to understand them in relation to the ongoing political, economic, and social changes in society and its aspirations in health policy. We used the Global Burden of Disease database and toolkit to extract and analyze country-specific descriptive data for the Republic of Kazakhstan to assess life expectancy, child mortality, leading causes of mortality, disability-adjusted life years, and causes and number of years lived with disability. Life expectancy declined from 1990 to 1996 but has subsequently recovered. Ischemic heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease remain among the leading causes of death; child mortality for children under 5 years has declined; and cardiovascular risk factors account for the greatest cause of disability. Considering its socioeconomic development over the last two decades, Kazakhstan continues to lag behind OECD countries on leading health indictors despite substantial investments in public health policy. We identify seven strategic priorities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system.

Glaucoma remains the leading cause of irreversible blindness and a significant public health challenge in the Republic of Kazakhstan. This study examines the epidemiological dynamics of glaucoma in the country over the last two decades, characterized by an alarming doubling of incidence rates from 59.1 to 135.5 per 100 000 population between 2000 and 2022. We conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, supplemented by a manual search of Kazakhstani medical journals, for studies published within a 10-year timeframe to assess the impact of the National Screening Program. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 12 studies were selected for a qualitative, narrative synthesis (no statistical pooling was performed) from an initial 90 records. According to a national population-based screening study, the overall glaucoma prevalence among adults over 40 years of age was 2.37±0.17%, rising to 14.2% in the 71-75-year age group; other included studies reported a primary-care detection rate of only 0.29% and a 1.91-fold higher risk in women than men. While the 2011 integration of glaucoma screening into the National Mandatory Healthcare Program significantly improved active detection, a substantial proportion of patients are still diagnosed at advanced stages, which accounts for a 3.7-fold increase in related disability over ten years. We propose, as a hypothesis to be tested rather than a finding of this review, that the current reliance on tonometry-based screening at the primary care level creates a “diagnostic shadow”, particularly failing to capture normal-tension glaucoma cases. Similar to shifts observed in national screening for cervical and colorectal cancers, the surge in glaucoma prevalence may reflect a transition from passive to active detection. This analysis provides a conceptual framework for optimizing public health strategies in Kazakhstan by moving from reactive disability management to proactive early intervention.

The rapid development of digital technologies has significantly transformed many areas of healthcare, including ophthalmology. Smart technologies are increasingly integrated into ophthalmic practice to improve disease detection, monitoring, and management. The present study aims to systematize contemporary smart technologies used in ophthalmology and evaluate their clinical applicability, advantages, and current limitations. The analysis demonstrates that smart technologies in ophthalmology can be broadly categorized into three principal groups: artificial intelligence–based diagnostic systems, telemedicine and mobile health solutions designed to expand access to care. Among these, AI-based image analysis tools have achieved particularly high diagnostic performance in the detection of retinal diseases and glaucoma. Teleophthalmology platforms and smartphone-based imaging technologies enable remote screening, facilitate communication between patients and specialists, and improve healthcare accessibility in geographically remote areas. In addition, novel monitoring devices, including implantable intraocular pressure sensors and wearable contact lens–based systems, allow continuous evaluation of disease-related parameters, which is especially relevant in the management of glaucoma.

Purpose. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a neuro­degenerative systemic disease that represents a major therapeutic challenge. Despite local reduction of intraocular pressure, progression cannot be halted in many cases. In this respect, avoidable risk factors such as smoking, which can promote neurodegeneration, play an important role in therapy management. Material and Methods. The mini-review with clinical statement covers the current state of knowledge on smoking as an independent risk factor for POWG. The literature search was conducted using PubMed. Results. Tobacco smoking lead to neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative processes via secondary mitochondriopathy. In addition, there is a smoke-associated ocular and systemic micro-circulatory disorder, which further adversely affects glaucomatous neuropathy. Conclusion. Patients with POWG must refrain from smoking tobacco and using e-cigarettes. It is therefore the duty to point this out and recommend smoking cessation therapy as a therapeutic measure in individual cases.